Birth will change when there are more midwives.
Midwives are trained to view birth as a normal process and they provide holistic, low interventionist care to pregnant women. Midwives believe in the innate power of all women to give birth naturally.
In fact the history of childbirth lies in midwifery care. The science and practice of midwifery predates obstetrics stretching all the way back to the first women on the planet earth. Midwives existed before written words did.
Today if every woman in the United States wanted the care of a midwife, she could not have it, because there simply are not enough educated and trained midwives. Midwifery care is important, because midwives lower the cesarean rate, the rate of interventions, and the use of medications just to begin. Midwives lower the cost of giving birth, since they don’t usually use high tech tools throughout labor such as continuous fetal monitoring.
The cesarean birth rate is out of control and using midwives to provide care for women during labor would help to lower that rate. It is not physically possible that over 1 in 3 women in the United States is not able to give birth vaginally. Especially since in 1970 the cesarean birth rate was 5.5% — that’s not even a lifetime ago.
The call is for more midwives.
There are not enough midwifery schools or midwifery instructors. And not enough young women have information about the midwifery profession so they might choose to enter college to train as midwives.
Now is the time for change; to increase the number of midwives by increasing the number of midwifery schools.
In the state of California where we are located only one school exists for direct entry midwives, and just a few for certified nurse midwives. What is the state of midwifery like where you are and what can you do to create change?
Remember: the oldest medical profession is that of the midwife.
Suggestions
- Join the Association of Midwifery Educators
- If you are a midwife commit to teaching a midwifery course through your local college or independently
- Start a midwifery school or training program
- Start a scholarship fund for midwifery students
- Be an ambassador for the midwifery profession: speak at a girl scout troop or other girl organization, and speak at career days for middle and high schools